Fire weather returns to Southern California, prompts red flag warnings

FILE PHOTO – Firefighters battle the Franklin Fire in Malibu, Calif., Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. The Santa Ana winds begin battering parts of Southern California Dec. 17, raising concerns about wildfires just as fire crews are making progress to contain the Malibu fire. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

LOS ANGELES – Santa Ana winds began battering parts of the Southland Tuesday, raising concerns about wildfires just as fire crews were making progress to fully surround the Franklin Fire in Malibu.

“Wind gusts between 20 and 35 mph are common right now around the L.A. and Ventura County line, many mountain areas (with local gusts of 35 to 45 mph), as well as the Central Coast,” National Weather Service forecasters said in a statement around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday.

According to the National Weather Service, winds will likely peak Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.

“This event with its stronger push from the north will see the max wind corridor tilted a little more to the south and is forecast to shift more to the Santa Monica Mountains, which is not the best news for the Franklin Fire,” forecasters said.

“Warning level gusts of 60 mph are forecast to develop across the western San Gabriels, the Santa Susanas and the Santa Monicas. Much of the rest of the area will see advisory level gusts between 35 and 50 mph.”

Forecasters said humidity levels are also anticipated to fall to between 10% to 20%, creating critical fire conditions and prompting the issuance of a red flag warning that will be in place from 3 p.m. Tuesday through 6 p.m. Wednesday for the Santa Clarita Valley, Malibu Coast, Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area, Calabasas, the western San Fernando Valley, the western San Gabriel Mountains and the Golden State (5) and Antelope Valley (14) freeway corridors.

“Aside from the winds, everyone will be talking about the temperatures,” according to the NWS. “Max temps will warm into the mid 70s to mid 80s across almost all of the coasts and valleys. These max temps are 10 to 15 degrees above normal.”

Fire crews in Malibu were bracing for the anticipated uptick in winds as they worked to build containment around the week-old Franklin Fire, which has burned more than 4,000 acres and was 63% contained as of Tuesday morning.

In response to the red flag warning and fire danger, Caltrans announced that Topanga Canyon Boulevard will be closed between Mulholland Drive and Pacific Coast Highway through the Topanga area beginning at 3 p.m. Tuesday and continuing until the end of the red flag warning.

Only residents and local business traffic will be allowed into the canyon during the closure, Caltrans officials said. (CNS)